Two weeks ago, I promised special interviews with specialists in their fields. (If you missed it you can read about it here.) My first victim was my fantastic nutritionist author friend and blogger Margaret Floyd Barry. Remember, it was her fault I figured out why I was snoring, sweating, and generally interrupting my sleep.
The answer, in a nutshell: food. Her program, which she now fondly refers to as the Sugar Control Detox program, or SCD for short, is the method I used to get my body back to firing on all cylinders. The program has been refined and updated with great influence from her chef husband James who developed many of the recipes published in the official Eat Naked cookbook. Why the cheeky “Eat Naked” title? She wants food in it’s original unpolluted and unprocessed form.
I thought Just Muscles readers might want to know a little more about what worked so well for me, so I fired off some questions to her about the program. Here is her response:
LC: What is the question you get asked the most about the Sugar Control Detox?
MFB: Truthfully: Can I drink coffee on it? (Answer: yes)
But in the bigger picture, people ask: Will I lose weight? And how much?
The answer: You’ll lose weight if you have weight to lose (and those who are underweight will gain the weight they need). It’s an excellent tool for bringing your body right into the balance it needs to be at to achieve your ideal weight.
How much weight depends on a lot of factors, but we see that typically men lose more than women (so sorry ladies) in ranges between 10-16lbs, and women lose between 6-12lbs. Of course there are outliers, but these are the typical numbers.
LC: Can you be on SCD indefinitely?
MFB: Absolutely! For some people, this way of eating is perfect for their metabolic type and they feel fabulous. For others, they’ll find that they want to tweak the program to fit their body’s metabolic needs.
Either way, this cleanse is a way to “wipe the slate clean” so to speak, so that you can really trust what your body is telling you. We give lots of guidance at the end of the cleanse on how to determine the ideal way of eating for your body specifically.
LC: What makes SCD different from other detoxes?
MFB: Well, for one, we’re 100% food based. No “potions and lotions” as we like to say. There aren’t any shakes or other non-food based items. It’s all about the food.
This is really a major crash course in a real food diet, while recalibrating your body’s metabolism to use fat as a fuel preferentially rather than depending on starchy carbs.
It’s also a very gentle detox compared to many detoxes on the market. I’ve worked extensively in this field for many years now, and so often clients want to jump right in and do a deep detox. That can actually be very, very damaging to the body – there are many things you need to have in place in order for your body to handle a detox properly. This detox is very gentle and is an excellent starting point.
LC: What do you see as pros and cons with SCD vs a program like the Detox Box?
MFB: I haven’t actually worked with the Detox Box specifically, so I really can’t comment on how this one is different, other than we focus entirely on real foods and don’t rely on protein powders or other supplements. I always like to start with food first, so I see that as a real advantage of our program.
LC: What do you see as the greatest benefit?
MFB: Gosh there are so many! First and foremost, it’s a great way to introduce you and your family to real food in a profound way. It’s not easy to eat out on the Sugar Control Detox, so most people who do it are cooking for themselves. This is a big deal and a great benefit of the cleanse.
Of course there are the usual suspects: people lose weight, they get their energy back, they sleep better, mysterious health complaints clear up, and of course they change their relationship to sugar in a profound way.
I also think the educational aspect of this is really important. We all know sugar isn’t good for us, but few realize how it sneaks into EVERYTHING. When you’re on the SCD and having to read labels, you’ll realize pretty quickly how many foods you’re eating every day that have added sugar. It’s quite eye opening!
LC: How have you personally benefitted from your program?
MFB: Way back in the day I used to have MAD sugar cravings. I simply couldn’t fathom a day without some form of sugar … actually a LOT of it. I’d have a skinny lattes with 2-3 sugar packets, everything I ate was starchy (I was what I now call a “carbivore”), I had to have my chocolate fix every afternoon, and I couldn’t imagine an evening without 2-3 glasses of wine. There wasn’t a dessert I would turn down. That was all before I went to school for nutrition and learned a version of this protocol.
After doing this protocol I couldn’t believe how my relationship to sugar changed. I went from not going a day without a sweet treat of some sort to really not even thinking about sugar. It was amazing.
We’ve adjusted the protocol a bit, but the core principles are the same. I never promote something that I don’t do myself, and this program is my go-to when I need a reset. I won’t pretend that I’m perfect and never indulge in treats. Especially over the holidays I let myself have some fun. But by the end of the season I’m totally over it, and ready to feel good again. Sometimes that sneaky sugar monster has crept in and I’ve got some cravings going on, and this 2-week protocol is the best way I know to recalibrate quickly and easily. We do it at least 2-3 times a year whenever we need a reset.
Don’t miss this Cyber Monday Offer from Margaret
Margaret would like all of you Just Muscles fans to join in the Cyber Monday fun, and for that one day only (Monday, December 1st) she is putting the Sugar Control Detox on sale for a mere $40!! That’s over 50% off!!
To sweeten the pot, I am throwing in a free workout that complements the detox as a sneak peak of the new fitness arm we are launching in 2014. It’s a total steal! So mark your calendars and be sure to come on over and check out the sale for that ONE DAY only!
Caveat: This offer is for the self-guided program ONLY. In January, we have a very comprehensive GROUP sugar control/exercise detox planned that has many bonuses attached to it. Stay tuned and we will give you the details soon!
